Old Pine
by PaintedOnWings
Summary: Based on the song "Old Pine by Ben Howard". Dean and Castiel take a moment to appreciate the world around them.


Though Dean would never admit it to anyone, sometimes when he couldn't sleep at night he would climb on the top of the Impala and lay down counting the stars. Tonight was one of those nights. Laying the driver seat as far back as he could he stared up at the top roof of the impala. Looking over the marks and various scrapes from all the times he put her back together. He sighed as the weight of everything just seemed to strangle him tonight. Turning his eyes towards his little brother, a sad look came to his face. Sammy…What he would have given for the boy to live a normal life, to have a kid or two with Jessica and smile. Not a "we just finished a hunt" smile but an honest, "there is no where else I'd rather be" smile.

Running his fingers through his hair with a rather annoyed hiss he pushed the door opening making sure that he didn't make too much noise and awake the moose that was sleeping in the passenger. Closing the door behind him he stretched as he listened to his spine cracking and wailing with the new movements. He twisted a few times as he looked at the forest around them. They had been hunting a lead on a job in the area since Lucifer was taking it easy the last few weeks. No signs of the apocalypse, nothing…The hunter was assuming that it was something they should have been thankful for. Yet, the silence was killing him. He knew Lucifer was out there somewhere, and that enough was unnerving.

So there was nothing else for him to do. Kicking off his boots he apologized to his baby, he climbed on the trunk and laid himself down on the roof. Laying on his back he looked up at the sky his eyes trailing the stars that lingered up there. Dean covered his eyes with his arm for a minute as he just let himself relax there. His legs dangled off the roof and stretched out on the trunk as his torso and his head rested neatly on the roof. If Sammy woke up and saw him like this he probably would never be able to live it down. That didn't matter right now, the moose was sleeping and he had time for himself for a little while. Inhaling, then slowly exhaling the boy moved his arm away from his eyes as the tickle of pine on his nose and the relaxing air around them made him feel just a little less heavy, even if it was just for a minute. They turned up, his green eyes that had seen to much for any man, and he began to count. His lips moving smoothly as the numbers passed his lips in tender whispers, "One…Two…Three…" and he continued until the familiar sound of wings reached his ears.

At first it startled him, sitting upwards getting ready to defend himself he looked to the side and saw the all to familiar form of an angel in a trench coat leaning his back against the trunk of the impala. He didn't think he called Castiel but then again, Cas did have a knack for showing up sometimes. He was a little confused though, wasn't he fighting a war? "Something up Cas?" Dean asked as he straightened himself up and slipped off the Impala so he was standing on the opposite side of the car and looking at the Angel's back.

"No Dean, I just…I've been hearing you counting and I was rather confused to what it was you were counting." Castiel admitted as he looked over his shoulder at the hunter who was opening the trunk and grabbing himself a beer. Offering one to the angel who shook his head Dean popped the top with his key and placed the chilled bottle to his lips. He moved so he was standing beside the angel.

They said nothing to each other, just looked up at the sky admiring the simplicity of the night sky. Dean had to admit that even though things sucked he was glad they had simple moments like this. He took another sip of his beer before Castiel spoke again, "My father's creations still amaze me." He admitted as he looked towards Dean who simply nodded. He had to admit that he was on par with that one. Sipping hie beer his eyes turned towards the angel as he admired his profile for a minute before he turned his attention back to the sky.

"It's just crazy to me that we're fighting to save the world, and it's like the world doesn't even know what the hell is happening to it." Dean said with a small ounce of spite in his voice, "The stars are still in the sky, the trees still being freaking trees," He said as he sipped the bottle and then pulled it back and looked at it, "and this cheap ass beer still tastes like crap." He said sighing once he finished and looked down at the bottle like it had done him an injustice. Hunting had always been a thankless job but sometimes when he looked at his brother and he looked at their life they had he wondered why. Tonight was one of those, "Why did it have to be us?" nights and he knew that Cas understood that. There was nothing they could do, it was just the cards that had been dealt to them, "Just freaking sucks." He admitted as he finished the bottle and Castiel just nodded in agreement.

There was nothing they could say to each other, no words that would take the pain away. And, soon Dean felt his fingers slipping out slightly as the casually brushed the angel's causing the stiffer male to look down and follow the arm up to Dean's face as the other seemed to just look up at the sky as if nothing was happening with his fingers. Entwined and nothing was said about it. They just stood together, like there was no devil, no end of the world just them. Closing their eyes they listened to the whisper of the world around them, because no one knew what tomorrow would bring. In that moment, it was just them.


End file.
